MARRIOTT HOTEL: Turkey to Fly: A complete feast from this five-star hotel in Resorts World: a five-kilo turkey roasted to a rich, mahogany brown and filled with stuffing, with sidings of: Brussels sprouts with pancetta; garlic mashed potatoes; choice of mushroom gravy or cranberry sauce; rosemary glazed carrots; creamy potato salad; and two kinds of desserts: pecan pie and pumpkin pie (inset)—all for P5,999. (Turkey to Fly can be claimed at the Marriott Café Bakery counter at the ground floor of Marriott Hotel Manila. Prices are inclusive of applicable taxes. Club Marriott members enjoy 20 percent discount.)

By Norma O. Chikiamco

Production Assistant: Goldweene Quetulio

Photographs: Aldwin Aspillera

Kitchen magic happens whenever Christmas and New Year comes along. The home cook baking quietly in her own kitchen, the hotel chef commandeering a whole regimen of cooks and helpers, the restaurant churning out its house specialties—they amaze us year after year with the extraordinary goodies they manage to conjure.

This year, as in years past, we’ve rounded up some of the best the metropolis has to offer. From a whole roasted suckling pig, to a tall regal toffee sans rival, a quivering tibok-tibok made with pure carabao’s milk, a party-size kare-kare, a whole turkey roasted to a golden brown finish, gingerbread cakes and artisanal ensaymada, and a white truffle honey cake topped with silver chocolate pearls—take your pick from this mouth-watering collection and make your holiday table even more festive.

Cochinillo Asado by Cirkulo

Cochinillo Asado, a whole suckling pig roasted to a golden brown finish, with crisp, crackling skin and meat that’s tender to the last bite. One order of about five kilos serves 12 to 15 persons. P7,950. Order one day in advance. (Contact information: G/F Milky Way Bldg., 900 Arnaiz Ave. cor. Paseo de Roxas, Makati City ; (02) 810-8735, 810-2763; www.elcirkulo.com; www.milkywayrestaurant.com)

Mario’s, which started in Baguio City and is well known for its Caesar Salad, is also famous for its Spanish specialties. Here, a sample of dishes you can order during the holiday season, counter clockwise, from bottom: sidings of vegetables and potatoes; pot roast beef (P2,300 for an order good for 10 servings); paella Valenciana, laden with a variety of seafood (P1,950 for an order good for 10 servings); toffee sans rival, layers of crisp wafers and rich butter cream icing, topped with a creamy toffee icing and sprinkled all over with chopped nuts (P1,150); pollo Iberico, a rich chicken dish cooked in olive oil (P385); and for a light dessert, a ring of sugar-free gelatin (P475). (Contact information: Branches: 191 Tomas Morato Ave., Quezon City, (02) 415-3887 or 372-0360; 16 Upper Session Rd., Baguio City, (074) 442-4241, 442-5445, (0905) 297-3384; www.marios.com.ph; FB: marios.group)

Authentic German cookies: linzer, buttery cookies with a hint of lemon (sugar-free, P150); vanilla kipferl, festive cookies with ground nuts (P130); husarenkrapfen, short crust cookies with jam (P110); zimsterne, chewy, crisp, cinnamon-spiced star shaped cookies (P140); and stollen, a traditional German loaf bread with fruits, nuts, and marzipan and dusted on top with powdered sugar. Wagner’s version is prepared from a treasured family recipe (P800). (Contact information: Two Central Condominium, Commercial Unit B, 109 Valero St., Salcedo Village, Makati City; (02) 772-0955, (0917) 627-8880. Order the cookies one week in advance if you’re buying in bulk, except for the Stollen which should be ordered a month before. Other products are 100g each)

See more holiday food finds, which are also great and available throughout the rest of the year, inside Asian Dragon Magazine’s December 2016-January 2017 issue. Grab your copy from all leading bookstores nationwide or purchase the issue from the Asian Dragon Magazine App, free to download on Google Play Store,iTunes, and Amazon.